InvolvedFan.com Brings Crowdfunding to Sports

Miami, FL – Miami based start-up, InvolvedFan.com, is the latest innovation in the fast growing crowdfunding industry, and is connecting the fundraising trend with professional sports. With the mission of bringing fans and professional athletes together through player support and fan benefits, InvolvedFan.com is focused on educating the public on the financial struggles of most professional athletes and giving fans a way to make up the difference.

Professional athletes in individual sports generally pay for their own expenses, including airfare, hotel, and coaching, and often miss important tournaments, or do not bring a coach when they should, because of financial restraints. Despite a common misperception of fans and the public, most professional athletes do not have sponsors and earn little in prize money. InvolvedFan.com allows fans to support these athletes with modest funding, which collectively adds-up to allow players to attend tournaments and have coaching that they would otherwise miss or not have, and this could be the difference in the athlete succeeding on the professional level.

In addition to allowing fans to make an actual difference in a player’s career, InvolvedFan.com further brings fans and athletes together by rewarding supporters with unique benefits such as one-on-one Skype sessions with the athletes, private lessons, meet and greets, phone calls, and a regular newsletter updating fans on player progress.

“We are excited to bridge a gap in the sports world that has long been an elephant in the room – a lack of communication and interaction between professional athletes and their fans, and to use this opportunity to make a real difference in player’s careers,” said Dan Nagler, InvolvedFan.com Founder and President, “Fans have what players need in financial support, and players have what fans want, to get close to the action. By turning passive fans into Involved Fans, everybody’s needs are met and everybody wins.”

The InvolvedFan.com concept is based in the growing crowdfunding trend, the collective cooperation by people who network and pool their money together in order to support an effort or cause. Crowdfunding replaces formal and traditional fundraising techniques with a more casual yet powerful approach, based on crowd participation and groups around the world who share an interest in funding a person, project or event. Crowdfunding is popular in many areas from inventions to disaster relief, but despite the need, not in sports, due to the information gap.

InvolvedFans.com booth in Delray Beach

InvolvedFan.com had an exhibition booth at the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships, the only combined ATP Champions Tour and ATP World Tour event in the world. Fans received giveaways, interactive games, and an opportunity to speak with the InvolvedFan.com founder as well as current players. Pictures of the booth and the event can be found on the InvolvedFan.com website atwww.involvedfan.com/delray.

InvolvedFan.com was founded in 2012 by Dan Nagler, a lifelong sports fan who worked in the sports industry in the media, in operations, and as an agent. Drawing on his knowledge from the perspective of the fan and the athlete, as well as sponsors, Nagler created InvolvedFan.com to meet the needs of both the fan and athlete, which have long been kept separate despite their direct ability to serve each other. InvolvedFan.com is based in Miami, Florida.